World Series crunch time: Of legends, tragedy and all hands on deck

SAN FRANCISCO — The World Series is a magical spectacle, as this weekend in the City by the Bay made plain for all to see over a Friday-Saturday-Sunday slate of games between the hometown Giants and visiting Kansas City Royals.

We saw a gifted young pitcher cement his status as a postseason legend. We saw the majesty of MLB's signature showcase contrasted with unspeakable tragedy. We saw the Giants drop Game 3 at home on Friday night, then surge back to win the following two days, take a 3-2 series lead and move one win away from winning the title. But better yet: The best of this World Series is still to come as it moves back to Kansas City for Game 6 on Tuesday night, followed by Game 7 on Wednesday if necessary.

Such is the majesty of the World Series that, like me, you can consider baseball your fourth favorite sport and pay it marginal attention for 162 regular-season games but find yourself completely consumed by the World Series aura. You're sitting there in San Francisco's AT&T Park, surrounded by crisp fall air and squinting into warm fall light and Hank Aaron presents the game ball and Mo'ne Davis throws out the first pitch and fireworks explode and Carlos Santana plays the national anthem and you become utterly enchanted by it all.

Heck, you can think Journey is as crappy and schmaltzy and contrived a rock band as there is. But when it's the eighth inning and singer Steve Perry leads the crowd in a singalong to "Lights" or "Don't Stop Believing," as he does for his favorite team late in every post-season home game, and the stadium Jumbotron shows the Golden Gate Bridge and the entire stadium of orange and black-clad fans lets out a proud bellow of approval? Your cynicism melts away and a chill runs down your spine.

This isn't just a San Francisco thing by any stretch, though. One can only imagine the electric atmosphere that awaits in Kansas City as the hometown Royals return with their backs against the wall for an all-hands-on-deck bid to stave off elimination. Here are three things to think about entering Game 6 and — if necessary — Game 7.

1. Gut-check time for the Royals

Royals pitcher Wade Davis reacts after giving up a two-run RBI in the 8th inning of Game 5.

Image: Matt Slocum/Associated Press

This is it for the Royals, who are in their first World Series since 1985 and have become the nation's baseball darlings over the past several weeks. Drop just one game at home and a magical run ends in tears. Win two, though, and culminate an otherworldly postseason run with a claim to eternal glory.

Can the Royals do it? Most certainly. After their 7-2 Game 2 win in Kansas City and 3-2 Game 3 win in San Francisco, it looked like they'd cruise to the title. They've also already proved they can bounce back with those two wins; many wondered how they'd respond when the Giants dealt them their first loss of the postseason in Game 1.

To do so, however, Kansas City will need more than it got from its typically dominant bullpen in the series' fourth and fifth games. Royals relief pitchers were batted around by the Giants hitters then, arguably in part because manager Ned Yost wanted to keep his best weapons fresh. One game away from elimination, though, rest goes out the window, it's all hands on deck and Royals relief pitchers will need to find their mojo again.

In his Game 5 start on Sunday, Bumgarner became the first pitcher in World Series history to toss a complete-game shutout with no walks and eight or more strikeouts.

His 2014 post-season stats? Gaudy: 47 2/3 innings-pitched, a 4-1 record, a 1.13 ERA, 41 strikeouts versus just six walks and an opposing batting average of .156.

His career World Series stats, dating back to 2010? Insane: Four starts, four wins, 31 innings pitched, just one run given up and a 0.29 ERA.

We're witnessing greatness here, folks, so best just to soak it up. Bumgarner won't be available for Game 6 after his Game 5 start. But should the series go to a seventh game, Bumgarner should be available out of the bullpen — and that should make Giants fans feel very, very good.

3. Utter tragedy, then a small mercy

There was a surreal lining to Game 5 on Sunday as, just as it got underway, news broke of the tragic death of 22-year-old St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras. Taveras died in a car crash in his native Dominican Republic and it was impossible not to think of what might have been. Had the Cardinals not lost to the Giants in the National League finals, Taveras would have been playing the World Series, not back visiting the Dominican Republic.

Juan Perez was reportedly in tears in the Giants dugout early on in Game 5 after learning of the passing of Taveras, a fellow Dominican Major Leaguer and good friend. Being unable to go on in the face of such a loss would have been understandable for Perez.

Instead, however, he came up huge for San Francisco in the eighth inning, when he ripped a double off Wade Davis to drive in two runs and give the Giants a 4-0 lead. He'd score himself one batter later, but with Bumgarner on fire from the mound it was Perez's double that really sealed the Game 5 win.

That's a moment that will be hard to top, given the context. But expect the next game — or, if objective fans are lucky, two games — to deliver plenty more drama nonetheless.

2014's Most Unforgettable Sports Moments

1. Richard Sherman goes off

After Richard Sherman's Seattle Seahawks beat the 49ers in January to reach Super Bowl XLVII, he went on an epic, trash-talking rant in a post-game interview. That led to a two-week news cycle of all Sherman, all the time, but he had a message for the haters.

Image: Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

2. Super Bowl? Super blowout

Super Bowl XLVII was supposed to be a classic matchup between the up-and-coming Seahawks and Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos. Instead, it was an all-time blowout, leading to shock, awe and memes aplenty. Maybe we'll get a rematch this coming February?

Image: Paul Sancya/Associated Press

3. #SochiProblems

Sochi, Russia, was woefully unprepared to host flocks of journalists traveling there to cover the Winter Olympics in February. Reporters tweeted their still-unfinished accommodations, the #SochiProblems hashtag took on a life of its own, a parody account was born and some of us got a little tired of the whole whine-fest.

Image: Pavel Golovkin/Associated Press

4. UConn's Cinderella run

An undersized scoring guard, a second-year coach, a seven-seed -- the UConn Huskies were not supposed to win the 2014 edition of March Madness. Yet, that's exactly what they did -- in entertaining, exhilarating and inspiring fashion, no less.

Image: Seth Wenig/Associated Press

5. NBA owner's racist bombshell

The world reacted in shock in April when audio was leaked of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling making a string of racist comments -- even though some of us weren't so surprised. Powerful player statements came next. Then months of legal wrangling, but the NBA finally got rid of Sterling, and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer now owns the team.

Image: Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

6. Luis Suarez takes a bite out of the World Cup

Luis Suarez had bitten before. But on the biggest stage, in a World Cup match against Italy? Yup, the Uruguayan star tried to chomp an Italian defender, setting the web aflame, as fans reveled in the absurdity. He's banned from playing for club team FC Barcelona until January.

Image: Ricardo Mazalan/Associated Press

7. Germany breaks Brazil's collective heart

Germany absolutely obliterated host Brazil in the World Cup semifinals on July 8, shocking soccer fans across the globe with a 7-1 win. Brazil captain David Luiz then gave a heartbreaking TV interview, and the entire nation had to reconsider its place in the global soccer pecking order.

Image: Felipe Dana/Associated Press

8. LeBron returns home, sweet home

Ohio native LeBron James crushed Cleveland's dreams when he left the Cavaliers for the Miami Heat as a free agent in 2010. This free agency go-round, King James left Miami to return to Cleveland in July. Can he deliver his home state an NBA title? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: It's going to be fun to watch.

Image: Tony Dejak/Associated Press

9. Tony Stewart kills Kevin Ward, Jr. on the racetrack

NASCAR superstar Tony Stewart struck and killed a young driver named Kevin Ward, Jr. in a sprint-car race in August after Ward exited his vehicle to confront Stewart following a testy exchange on the track. This prompted speculation about whether Steward intended to hit Ward, and caused the star to miss some races. He was ultimately cleared, but it remains a truly shocking story.

Image: Mike Groll/Associated Press

10. The NFL implodes

The NFL faced perhaps its worst moment in September when a string of domestic violence cases shed an unflattering light on the way the league disciplines and handles such crimes. Commissioner Roger Goodell gave a cringeworthy news conference to address the mess, which is still playing out, and is far from over. This story is a fascinating one that will surely carry over well into 2015.

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.